Positioning highway joint supports and shear plates in paving material



United States Patent 3,098,4 l4 7/1963 Guntert 94/46 3,286,607 1 l/ l 966 Middlestadt.. 94/51 3,335,647 8/1967 Thorp 94/51 3,417,680 12/ I 968 Crone et al. 94/51 Primary Examiner-Jacob L. Nackenoff Attorney Christel and Bean ABSTRACT: The herein described invention discloses the positioning of joint support assemblies or other structural parts in paving material formed of low slump concrete in which no stationary forms to define the edges of the road are employed. The forms are employed on the machines for pouring the concrete on the road bed and these forms are moved with the machine after the concrete has been placed and finished between the movingforms. When joint support assemblies or other structural parts are pressed into this type of concrete while still in plastic condition, the lowering of the joint support assemblies or other parts causes a softening of the concrete in the vicinities and short forms positioned at the sides of the concrete prevents this softening of the concrete from deforming the road bed.

Patented Sept. 22, 1970 Sheet 1 of3 wwmw.

AQ'TOPNEYS.

Patented Sept. 22, 1970 Sheet & INVENTOR.

POSITIONING HIGHWAY JOINT SUPPORTS AND SHEAR PLATES IN PAVING MATERIAL It is consequently an object of this invention to provide short forms which may be temporarily positioned at the sides of the concrete to prevent deformation of the concrete during the insertion of the joint support assemblies into the same.

Another object is to mount these short forms on the machine itself.

It is also an object of this invention to provide supporting means of novel construction by means of which the machine may be moved along the road bed without employing the usual fixed forms as tracks for wheels on which the machine is mounted.

ln the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of apparatus embodying this inventron.

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof on line 2-2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the mechanism on an enlarged scale showing one of the forms in elevated or inoperative position.

A new paving method has come into use and generally designated slip form paving" in which the stationary paving forms attached to the subgrade at the side edges of the pavement for limiting the lateral flow of the usual plastic concrete are eliminated. This paving material flows laterally to such a limited extent that the usual forms at the sides of the pavement are not needed, but are replaced by forms mounted on the paving machine itself and movable with the machine along the pavement.

Since the new slip form paving eliminates the use of fixed side forms, the invention herein described provides means for moving the apparatus along without using the forms as tracks.

Since the vibrating and driving of the highway joint supports and center plates into the pavement causes the concrete in immediate vicinity to the joint supports to become more liquid and hence to cause the same to tend to flow laterally, I have provided on my improved apparatus forms that can be positioned at the sides of the pavement to prevent lateral flow of the concrete while the joint supports are positioned in the concrete.

The apparatus forming the subject matter of this application employs means for holding and positioning joint support assemblies into the plastic concrete, which means are generally the same as those used in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,680 issued Dec. 24, I968, and these parts of the mechanism are not shown in detail in the drawings of this application but the arrangement of the same on the machine herein disclosed will be readily understood by reference to said patent. It will be obvious however that the apparatus embodying this invention may be used in connection with other means for positioning joint support assemblies or other devices in plastic concrete.

The apparatus includes a frame or base having transverse main frame members 12, 13, 14 and 15 which extend crosswise of the apparatus end of the road bed and which are connected adjacent to their ends by means of longitudinally extending frame members 17 and 18. These frame members may be of any suitable structural shapes such, for example, as channel beams secured together in any suitable or desired manner. Because of the fact that highways are frequently made of considerable width, it is desirable to construct each of the transverse frame members 12, 13, 14 and 15 in two parts which may be connected by means of connecting channel members 19 suitably secured to the adjacent inner ends of the main frame members.

The transverse frame members may be properly spaced from each other by bars 21, and flooring 22 may be provided on the frame members 12 and 13 and on the frame members 14 and 15, the space between the frame members 13 and 14 being left open. A base frame of other suitable construction may be provided.

The apparatus also includes upright guide channels 34 in which smaller channels move vertically and may be locked in fixed position by locking rods 36. 37 represents a pivot member on which gripping members 38 are arranged, which support the joint support assemblies to be lowered into the plastic concrete, only one half of each of these gripping members is shown and gripping members of other construction may be provided, and 39 represents stop members which cooperate with the gripping members 38 to hold the same in fixed positions while the joint supporting assemblies are positioned thereon. The operation of these parts is clearly described in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,680.

In my improved construction the transverse frame members 12 and 15 extend beyond the longitudinal members 17 and 18 at opposite sides of the machine and the ends of the members 12 and 15 support longitudinally extending beams 40 which rest upon and are secured to the transverse beams 12 and 15. Near the ends of the beams 40 which extend beyond the transverse'beams 12 and 15, I secure wheels 42 which are capable of riding on the subgrade of the pavement. These wheels are arranged in pairs, two wheels at the front end of the apparatus being motor driven to propel the apparatus and the rear wheels are connected with steering means.

The frame of the apparatus also includes upwardly extending inclined members 25 which are suitably secured at their lower ends to the ends of the beams 40 and which are connected at their upper ends by a beam 26 which cooperates with a trolley 27 to support certain parts of the apparatus and which is movable crosswise of the apparatus. These parts include a hoisting device or drum 30 supporting a hoisting beam 31 having vibrators 32 mounted thereon.

The wheels may be mounted on wheel supporting frames of any suitable construction secured to the end portions of the two beams 40. For example, the wheel supporting frames 45 may each have a horizontal plate or web 46 arranged below the channel beams 40 and connected therewith by central bolts 41. The plate or web 46 also has downwardly extending wheels supporting legs 48 arranged at opposite sides of the wheels and having hearings in the lower ends thereof which support axles 50 on which the wheels are suitably mounted. The horizontal webs 46 on which the channel beams 40 rest have upwardly extending arms 52 on which cover members 54 are arranged, the cover members having downwardly extending arms 52.

The wheels at the front of the apparatus may be motor driven in any suitable manner. In the construction shown I provide a single motor 55 with suitable gear reduction connected with a shaft 56 which drives the wheel 42 at the left side of the apparatus. The wheel 42 at the right of the apparatus is driven by a shaft 57 having a drive connection with the shaft 56 by a coupling 58. Since the motor is mounted on a support 59 extending outwardly from the main frame of the apparatus above the shafts 56 and 57, a chain and sprocket drive 59 is provided to connect the motor shaft with the drive shaft 56. Holes 61 may be provided in the beam 40 and the plates 46 for pins for locking the wheels in desired positions, the plates 46 for this purpose being adjustable about the connecting bolts 41. Any other manner of connecting the motor with the front wheels may be provided if desired.

The rear wheels have their covers 54 rigidly secured to the upstanding arms 52 of the wheel supporting frames 45 and the covers are provided with pins 62 eccentrically arranged thereon in spaced relation to the upright pivots 41 connecting the wheel supporting frames 45 with the channel beam 40. These pins 62 are connected by means of rods 64 to one end of a steering arm or rod 66 which is pivoted at 68 to an outwardly extending channel 70 secured to the frame of the machine. The steering mechanism has an extension or rod 72 removably mounted thereon so that the swinging of the rod 72 and the tubular socket 71 into which it extends about the pivot 68 will result in the movement of the rods 64 about a pivot member 74 at the end of the steering rod. Any other suitable steering mechanism may be provided. The rod 72 is extended so that the steering operator can stand at the front of the machine for better visibility.

By means of the construction described the apparatus may be moved along the road bed by means of the motor 55 and the direction of movement of the apparatus is controlled by means of the steering mechanism described so that the apparatus can be readily moved along the side edges of the concrete pavement 75.

Because of the fact that the vibrating and moving of the joint support assemblies or other structural parts into the concrete results in making the portions of the concrete in the vicinity of the joint assemblies and center plates more liquid. it is necessary to provide forms for preventing spreading of the concrete at the portions thereof which receive the joint supports and the center plate. The prevention of the spreading of the concrete may be effected in any desired manner. For example. short forms may be temporarily secured to the subgrade at the portions of the pavement which are to receive the joint support assemblies and these short forms may be removed shortly after these assemblies have been vibrated and driven into the concrete. it is also possible however. to provide the apparatus with forms mounted thereon and which can be lowered into engagement with the edges of the concrete 75. shown in FIG. 1. These forms may be movably mounted on the apparatus so as to be moved into and out of operative positions with reference to the concrete.

In FIG. 1, l have shown these forms 80 in their operative positions abutting against the sides of the preformed concrete at the portions thereof which are to receive the joint supports and center plates, and these forms 80 are mounted on arms 81 of angle-shaped pivot members 82 pivoted at 83 on brackets 84 secured on the frame of the apparatus. The forms 80 have lugs or projections 86 arranged thereon provided with vertically elongated openings or slots 85 through which pivot pins mounted on the arms 81 extend. This enables the forms to adjust themselves vertically to fit the sides of the concrete pavement 75.

Springs 92 are provided for supporting the forms in either of their positions, each spring being connected at one end to a channel member 90 of the frame of the apparatus and at the other end at 94 to the angle-shaped bracket 82 below the pivot 83 so that the form is urged into position to bear against the side of the concrete pavement 75. When the frame is swung upwardly to an inoperative position as shown in FIG. 4 the end 94 of the spring will be above the pivot 83, thus supporting the form 80 in its upper or inoperative position.

The arm 81 on which the form 80 is pivotally mounted has a laterally extending arm 96 which preferably has a socket 98 secured thereto. A handle may be provided which can be inserted into the socket 98 of the arm 81 to swing the same about its pivot 83 into operative or inoperative position. It will be obvious that the spring 92 in the position shown in FIG. 1 urges the form against the concrete pavement 75 and when swung into its upper position as shown in FIG. 4 the spring will act on the opposite side of the pivot 83 so as to yieldingly hold the form in its upper position lying upon the frame of the apparatus.

The forms must be swung upwardly about their pivots 83 so as to clear the concrete which has been laid and any other obstruction which might be encountered while the apparatus is moved from one position to another.

It will be understood that various changes in the details. materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for installing structural parts in a highway made of low slump concrete and while the concrete of the same is in plastic condition. including:

a frame extending laterally beyond the edges of the concrete;

wheels mounted on the extensions of the frame beyond the concrete to ride on the subgrade of .the highway; means on said frame to position said structural parts in the concrete; and forms pivoted on said apparatus to swing into contact with the edges of the concrete for preventing lateral flow of concrete when the same is softened by positioning said structural 5am in the concrete. 2. Apparatos according to claim 1 and including: means foe-supporting said forms in an operative position to engage the concrete at the side edges thereof and an inoperative position above and out of engagement with the concrete. 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 including: spring means for pressing said forms against the concrete and holding said forms yieldingly in an inoperative position when the forms are moved out of engagement with the concrete. 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 including horizontal pivotal connections between said forms and said frame: springs connecting said frame and said forms; and said springs being secured to said frame to swing said forms about said pivotal connections to normally urge the forms against the concrete, and when said forms are moved upwardly about said pivots. the springs will hold the forms in inoperative positions. 1 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 including a slidable connection formed by elongated slots connecting said forms and said pivot members to permit said forms when in operative position to adjust themselves in various heights according to the subgrade of the pavement. 

